The reformed Dragon (two members from the classic lineup missed out) returned to the Australian charts with this extremely 80's-dated record. The good thing is they had not lost their sense of a good hook, as evidenced by the synth-wobbling groove of "Rain". But the old tension between flashy, finely-crafted pop and their devil-may-care attitude has been replaced by a more positive approach which, while admirable on some levels, doesn't feel very authentic. Ballads like "Cool Down" and "Fool" feel like the antithesis of what this band was about in the first place. But then again, maybe this was the start of their "born again" phrase. Definitely a step down from earlier albums.
Definitely a leap up from the previous record and easily the best one of the original run. It's also fairly fascinating because stylistically they were at a crossroads, so about half of the material is in their vague 70's pop-soul vein, and the other half veers towards turn of the decade New Wave ("Company" is good in this regard). The group expertly juggles their sarcastic lightweight fluff ("Still In Love With You") with now-familiar chronically depressing ruminations on the dark side of fame ("Midnight Groovies").
The leadoff track "April Sun in Cuba" was arguably Dragon's pinnacle, and is also the runaway standout on this otherwise by-the-numbers effort. There's nothing here that wasn't done already on Sunshine; maybe the only other noticeable characteristic is a more cynical tone ("Bob's Budgie Boogie", "Mr. Thunder").
I don't understand why everyone has this record in the underrated column. These guys pirated the Black Sabbath template - play heavy music, fronted by a lead singer with a weird, vulnerable voice - and applied it to the 80's metal scene without much (if any) input from the major recording industry. Somehow, they forged a career out of it. Kudos to them. That doesn't mean Crystal Logic is an album you should go out of your way to hear. It's a plodding, weighed-down document that's like a smoked and heavy-psyched out version of death metal records from the same period, but not in a good way. Part of the problem is Shelton whose presence is disturbing, and part of it is the sound of the band, which also fits neatly into the whole alienation trip Shelton appears to be on.
